


Live, Die, Inferno

by bonerdotexe



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Eventual Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Edge of Tomorrow, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:47:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23021950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonerdotexe/pseuds/bonerdotexe
Summary: Galo is stuck in a time loop, so he has to fix all of the things that can go wrong, save the Burnish, and somehow save the world. Oh, and he finds love along the way of course.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my significant other for proofreading, he also deserves a lot of credit for helping to story break this and really detangle the plot details. Somehow he also puts up with my wild Promare obsessed self.
> 
> Thank you to my beta reader, LT, you're the sweetest!
> 
> And thank YOU, reader, for checking this out. I appreciate it and I hope that you have a great day! ----

“Inferno Volcano Margherita Megamax!”  
The combination of basil, tomatoes, and garlic waft into Galo’s nose as he takes a deep dramatic inhale of the freshly baked pizza that the owner sets down. His fellow crewmates from the Burning Rescue all don’t hesitate in digging in, so Galo grabs a slice.  
Stuffing the pizza into his mouth, he ignores the hot tomato sauce scalding his tongue, it just tastes way too good.

“It's so yummy hot from the oven!” Galo exclaims around a mouth full of gooey cheese and crust.  
“Another one!” Varys chimes happily, Galo tries to remind himself to not try to out-eat him again; it ended up giving him such a sore stomach, and even put him off of pizza for a week which he still can’t even imagine!

Conversation is passed around the table about the events of this week as Galo chews pensively. So much has happened in a couple of days. He got to go on one of his first major rescue missions, even try out his new Matoi tech in the field! It did so amazingly against those Mad Burnish firebugs, even if it did get a bit wrecked in the process…  
But he got to capture the leader of the Mad Burnish and help bring him to justice, Kray even awarded him with a medal for it. Galo’s heart swells thinking of how proud Kray must have felt when he got the call with Galo’s accomplishment. Kray had done so much for him, ever since he was a kid after his house burnt down and he lost his family, it was the least that he could do.

Still, thinking about his encounter on the roof with the Mad Burnish, Galo felt an uneasy tickle in his stomach. In all of the adrenaline of going head to head with their leader (what was his name?), he was really just a kid? Ignis had said that the world had been after him for 30 years since the first appearance of the Burnish, but underneath the sleek black armor was someone that could have been Galo’s age. Even if his deep voice belied his younger features, Galo couldn’t shake how it didn’t quite make sense.

The owner of the pizza place brings him out of his thoughts, “I saw you on TV, Galo,” Galo looks up at him to see his smile, “Great job!”  
“This?” Galo remarks in return, lifting the weighty cool medal from his check to gesture to it, “It’s nothing, really! All in a day’s work for Promepolis’ #1 Firefighter!” he flexes his arm in emphasis earning a glare from Aina beside him as he just misses her head.

“They were a real nuisance, those terrorists.” the owner responds, “Mad Burnish, is that what they’re called? It’s a relief to know that their boss is in jail, now.”  
“I’m sure not all Burnish are dangerous like those guys. But they get discriminated against because of them.” Galo notices the glance that the owner gives to the cook manning the brick oven inside the restaurant.  
“You nailed it chief!” Lucia chimes in,  
“The Burnish are misunderstood, they’re not to blame.” Aina adds in, her gaze downward,  
“It’s a mutation, they can’t do anything about it. The question is how you use it.” Remi looks towards Varys “Like Varys’ superhuman strength.”  
“You’re all right, it’s not fair that they’re treated the way they are. Even the Mad Burnish...everyone deserves to be treated justly even if they’ve done bad things.” Galo feels the eyes of everyone at the table after he says it and immediately flushes red.  
“I’m surprised that you have such a mature opinion-” Aina starts teasingly before Galo bellows enthusiastically “Hey, Chief! More Inferno Volcano Margherita pizza, please!” Trying to steer the conversation away from such dour talk.  
The owner opens his mouth to respond but is drowned out by the drone of helicopters in the air. The wind picks up as the sound grows louder, whipping around the tablecloths of the outdoor tables, flinging napkins out of customer’s laps and causing alarmed gasps.  
“Freeze Force…?”  
Overhead a cavalcade of Freeze Force vehicles land with a heavy thud around the pizza place, the engines of the trucks rumbling menacingly. The doors on them open to reveal a clown car esque eruption of Freeze Force police that storm their way into the parlor.  
“Nobody move! If you do, I'll regard you as a Burnish!” Vulcan bellows, venom dripping from his voice.

Galo feels his blood begin to boil. These guys again? When he had apprehended the Mad Burnish leader and his mates they had shown up to steal them away. Galo wasn’t even mad about them stealing his thunder, no, it was the inhumane way that the Freeze Force was treating the Burnish that they apprehend. Aina was right in what she said earlier, that it wasn’t their own fault that Burnish were Burnish, it was just a mutation. The Mad Burnish were a bunch of people doing not necessarily good things, but that doesn’t mean that all Burnish were bad or dangerous. There were probably Burnish all around the city trying to live their lives in peace.

The Freeze Force had no right abusing the Burnish during or after arrests, that just wasn’t the kind of justice that Galo felt was right. Justice was fair; it was about holding people responsible for their bad deeds, not punishing them physically; it just wasn’t right.  
Inside the restaurant around the crowded Freeze Force bodies, Galo catches a burst of light, the ensuing commotion stirs him to his feet. As he pushes his way through the crowd the owner is crouched on the floor over the pizza chef that had been overseeing the pizzas in the oven only a bit ago, ice shackles around his arms and legs.  
“You're under arrest too. Cordon off the store!” Vulcan commands, the owner looks up with fear painting his face,  
“Wait!” Galo calls, shoving through to put himself between Vulcan and the owner, “The Burnish is one thing, but the Chief had nothing to do with it!”  
Vulcan grabs Galo with a massive armored hand, reminiscent of the way he had first manhandled Galo on the roof and it sets his nerves on edge.  
“He violated the Burnish Protection Crime Act: Whoever hides a Burnish gets arrested too.” Vulcan sneers in Galo’s face, “You should start studying law before posing as a hero.”  
Before Galo can open his mouth with a passionate rebuke he feels hands grabbing at his torso and climbing to his shoulders.  
“Wait! It's true that law does exist. But, it's a special anti-terrorism law!” Aina lays herself over the top of Galo’s head in order to get face to face with the Freeze Force commander, “These people are not terrorists!!” she exclaims.  
“Aina’s right! You can’t just do what you want!” Galo adds on,  
“That's for the court to decide!” Vulcan responds, narrowing his eyes before turning them to the owner and the captured Burnish man.

Suddenly the Burnish man comes to life from the ground in glowing colorful flame. Galo’s body drops to the floor in an unceremonious heap with Aina on top of him as Vulcan releases him.  
“I won’t let them take you, too, Boss!” the Burnish man cries out as he pushes the owner aside to blast Vulcan with flames. But just as the flames begin to the lick Vulcan’s feet, his hand flies to the ice pistol on his hip and fires off several rounds in quick succession. All at once Galo is looking at the pizza cook encased in a large block of ice, a look of fear on his face, before Vulcan’s massive booted foot slams down to the ground shattering the block of ice into shards.

It’s quiet in the pizza restaurant as the ice settles on the ground, the light of the midday reflecting off of his smooth surface. By Galo’s boot is a piece that to his horror contains the pizza cook’s outstretched hand, Galo’s head swims.

The Freeze Force reigns in the owner of the pizza place and herds the rest of the customers out of the restaurant to sweep up the pieces of the Burnish man. Galo expects to see the horror that he feels inside at what he just saw reflected back in the faces of the other patrons but he only sees disgust.  
“So, this pizza was made by a Burnish?”  
“Disgusting.”  
“How could he give this stuff to his customers?”  
“Hey! Stop it!” Galo shouts, wishing that there was more that he could do, wishing that he could make them understand that the Burnish weren’t at fault for what they are.  
“Galo! Don't make a mistake. We have no right to stop them.” Remi is quick to reprimand him, a reliable voice of reason in their crew. Galo turns to him and feels like he sees sympathy behind the stoic expression that Ignis wears behind his sunglasses, but it doesn’t do anything to temper the emotions that are swirling inside of him threatening to spill out.

Fingers mussing through his hair, Galo gives an exasperated exclamation before making a beeline for his bike and jumping on. The familiar rumble of the engine beneath him is soothing, and he turns the throttle tearing out away from the scene.  
“Where are you going?!” Aina calls after him over the scream of his bike, Galo passes by a Freeze Force truck with Commander Vulcan loading the owner into the back in handcuffs and he guns it for the highway.

The ride through the city helps cool Galo’s head to a bit, but even as he follows the winding trail down to the frozen-over lake he doesn’t feel a sense of peace or release that being out here usually brings him. He parks his bike underneath a crooked pine that has come to be his routine “hitching post” and cuts the engine. It’s cooler here, either because of the lake or the shade that the dense forest offers and the wind tickling the back of his neck, but goosebumps tease across his skin. It’s always quieter here, which helps to not clash with the racing of his thoughts, but in the distance, Galo thinks that he hears the sound of another motorcycle. He turns his head to the lane and watches as a headlight weaves through the trees, growing closer he recognizes the bright pink of Aina’s hair and smiles to himself.

As Aina reaches where Galo’s bike is parked Galo is already partway down the grass to the lake’s shore.  
“I didn't know about this place. What is it?” she asks, walking up beside him,  
“Dunno.”  
“You don't know?”  
“I found it by chance one day when I was riding around to burn off steam. Since then, I come here whenever I need to cool off.”  
“Jeez.” Aina breathes out, “Only someone with so much spare energy like you would come out here. You really went out of your way, just to cool off.”  
“Then why are you here?”  
“Why? The way you took off, I thought you went to raid Freeze Force HQ.”  
“Oh! You wanted to help?” Galo’s mind conjures the image of Aina dropping him in his Matoi Tech from her jet over the Freeze Force compound with cool explosions and cuts just like an action movie.  
“I wanted to stop you.” Aina gives him a look like she isn’t having any of it, quashing his daydream.  
“You really think I'm an idiot, don't you?” Galo murmurs.  
“Yeah.”  
Galo sighs to himself, stepping out onto the lake casually, pushing off with one of his feet to glide across the surface on his boots.  
“Hey! It could break!” Aina exclaims after him,  
“No worries. I dug down 5 meters, and there was ice all the way.” Galo responds, hammering his fist on the ice to prove his point.  
“You dug 5 meters down?”  
“Yeah. I was curious to see how far down it went.” Galo offers Aina an outstretched hand, “Come skate on it with me.” After a brief pause of hesitation, Aina ignores Galo’s hand and takes to the ice with a graceful push.  
They skate across the lake together in the twilight and start doing what they do often, being close friends, sharing their feelings with one another.

“I’m relieved that you have enough sense to come here and cool off rather than go do something wild like taking on the entire Freeze Force by yourself.” Aina says with a small chuckle.  
“I can’t give Governor Kray trouble. All the higher-ups know that he saved my life, so if I did something wrong they’d think that I’m trying to abuse my connection with him. Misuse his authority to bail me out.”  
“You weren’t worried, taking on Vulcan earlier?”  
“I-” Galo starts but the words die in his throat, he knows that it was stupid to cause trouble like that, but it still doesn’t sit right with him the way that they had killed that Burnish man. He hadn’t even hurt anyone.  
“I can understand how you feel, it’s the same for me.” Aina offers a sympathetic smile, “You know that I’ve always been “Heris’ sister” and not just “Aina”. Even when we were kids, she was a prodigy, so nothing I did ever really compared.”  
Galo watched Aina’s face as she suddenly grew self-conscious of maybe having said too much, “But I’m proud to be Heris Ardebit's sister! She’s doing important work at Foresight Lab, now!” she blurts out.  
“You’re working hard too, Aina. You do important work saving lives with the Burning Rescue, too.” Galo rests a hand on her shoulder, “You’re you.”

In stark contrast to the tenderness of Galo’s reply Aina’s foot slips on the ice. Before she can fall, Galo’s arms shoot out to catch her to steady her descent. His gaze drifts past her face to the reflection of the pale sky in the ice, catching on a flash of light. The light, which had looked almost like the last rays of the sun as it was beginning to set, moved through the sky at a steady pace. Lost in focusing on its trajectory Galo drops Aina onto the ice, turning to the sky.  
“Ouch!” Aina falls to the ice with a dull thud, quickly composing herself to scold Galo, “Hey!”  
“Look,” Galo interrupts, the color of the streaking object was so familiar, “Burnish…?”  
The streak reaches the peak of its parabola in the sky, descending down into the forest on the other side of the lake gracefully. Something in Galo’s gut tells him that he has to go, so he slides across the ice towards his bike. Before Aina even has time to open her mouth he shouts back at her “You call HQ!” and launches himself onto his motorcycle.

His bike eats up the road ahead as he drives around the lake, deciding on the trip that he should probably approach stealthily and cuts his engine as he approaches the approximate location that he had seen the flare. After digging a pair of heat vision binoculars out of the pack on his bike, he finds himself splayed out on the crest of a hill scanning the landscape for anything.  
The thick forest is a blanket of black save a few spots of heat coming from squirrels clambering through the treetops and a few deer. Galo pans his view around and stills his breath as he’s rewarded with a cluster of heat signatures way brighter than the squirrels or deer. Raising the viewfinder away from his eyes he’s certain that it’s coming from a cave down the hill a way. Just to be sure he refocuses the binoculars in a regular view on the mouth of the cave and catches two children emerge from the stone entrance in ragged tattered clothing and bandages.  
Something didn’t feel right to him. The Mad Burnish, despite being terrorists on the run from the Freeze Force, never looked disheveled and despite the damage Galo did with his Matoi they didn’t look injured either. Who had harmed these kids?

Just to be safe before investigating further Galo returns to his bike. He grabs his ice pistol and shoots a text off to Aina letting her know that he was going into the cave. Stuffing his phone back into the saddlebags of his bike Galo palms his pistol, squares his shoulders and begins moving down the hill. He tries his best to be silent, moving quickly and keeping his eyes open for anything. Even as he moves into the mouth of the cave he doesn’t hear much outside of the sounds of the earthen walls and the quiet crackling of a fire. Deeper in, the glow of fire illuminates the walls up ahead, but with a purple cast. Slowly Galo slides against the wall, the glow emanating from around the corner.  
He takes a deep breath and levels the sights of his pistol before moving into view. What he sees certainly wasn’t what he was expecting. A group of ragged looking people sit around a fire wrapped in tattered blankets, almost all of them wear bandages around different parts of their bodies. They look incredibly tired, and by no means any kind of threat. Galo lowers his pistol, shocked that he hadn’t been met with a collective of armor-clad Mad Burnish like the ones he had met on the roof. His binoculars couldn’t have lied, they were all Burnish?

One of the children seated by the fire seems to notice his presence and turns around meeting Galo’s gaze. There’s no fear in his eyes, only exhaustion, even as Galo knows that the kid can see the ice pistol in his hands. He’s so confused.  
Then everything goes dark as he’s struck from behind.

Galo wakes up slowly, his brain trying to catch up to where he even was. The first thing that becomes apparent is an ache in his shoulders, but when he goes to remedy that pain his wrists chafe against the rough fibers of a rope. He tests them, rubbing his wrists together in an effort to see how tightly he was bound.  
Hang on, someone had gotten to him as he had come upon that group of Burnish. Galo looks up and notices that he isn’t alone, tucked away from the group by the fire.  
“You! You’re the Mad Burnish’s boss!”  
“Lio Fotia.” he responds, perched on a rock casually echoing the air of confidence from their fight on the roof, “I’ve already told you. Memorize it Galo Thymos.”  
“What?”  
“Be quiet, we’re having a meal.” Lio chides, igniting a flame at his outstretched fingers in a show of force.  
“What happened to them?”  
“What do you mean what happened to them?” the flame from Lio’s fingers floats to Galo’s shoulder. Galo clenches his eyes, bracing himself for the searing heat, but after a moment opens them when it never comes. The multicolored flame dances on his shoulder before exploding in a small puff of hot air.

“Ouch!” Galo exclaims, “What did you do that for?”  
“Because you’re so ignorant. We Burnish are human beings like you. If we don’t eat, we die. We get tired and need sleep. There isn’t as much separating us from everyone else as they want you to think there is.”  
“Lio,” an older man approaches Lio from the circle by the fire, beckoning him to a young woman on the ground. The other Burnish encircle her, their faces grave, Galo can notice from where he is that her breathing is shallow.  
“Hang on Thyma, Meis and Gueira will be here with a truck soon.” Lio crouches over her, taking her bandaged hand into his own comfortingly.  
“Let me help!” Galo pipes up,  
“You?” Lio spits back at him, “She’s hurt because of you guys!”  
“I’m a rescuer, I have emergency medical training.” Galo summons up all the courage in seriousness in his voice that he can, “I even have a first aid kit and other medical equipment on my bike if you would let me get it.”

“No need.” Lio leans down over the woman, gently lifting her chin as he presses his lips to hers. Galo isn’t sure what he sees next is real or a hallucination, but Lio appears to be breathing light into her body. With each exhale of air into her lungs Galo feels the air alight with energy, the hairs on his arms standing up. It’s almost like a miracle, but after a few breaths, she stirs from her stillness, eliciting gasps of surprise from the onlookers. Lio sits up onto his heels, a small glimmer of hope in his eyes. But it’s short-lived, the energy that was filling the space fades, and Galo watches as the woman’s body begins to sag to the ground and her breath grows slower.  
Lio’s shoulders sag, and he tenderly takes each of her hands, crossing her arms over her chest in reverence.

“From flames to ashes, from ashes to earth. Rest in peace.” Lio’s voice is barely a whisper and choked with emotion,  
“She turned to ashes? How can that even happen?” Galo cries from his place on the ground, his heart aching at being utterly unable to help in any way,  
“It’s the Burnish’s fate. The flames burn our body, but also give us the power to regenerate it. While we’re alive our body is eternal. We’ll recover no matter how much we burn. But once our life is over we return to ashes.” Lio stares Galo down, flames alight in his hands,  
“You can’t be serious.” Galo replies,  
“All humans die, Galo Thymos. We feed the flames and die out. It is a certainty and a blessing.”  
“So you live for the flames?”  
“They call to us! Urging us to burn hotter, stronger, they always want more! They are alive as much as we are alive. But we don’t kill people, we Mad Burnish always leave a path for people to escape.”  
“But why can’t you stop starting fires? You could live like normal people if you did, you wouldn’t have to run or hide.”  
“You idiot, you really weren’t listening?” Lio frowns, his eyebrows forming a crease between his eyes, “You don’t even know, either, do you? Why do you think she died?” he gestures to the ashes that are fluttering away in the breeze of the cave where there once had been a young woman.  
“It’s all because of the Foresight Foundation’s experiments. Not just her, everyone was almost killed by Kray Foresight. He cuts us up and dissects us, all in the name of research even though we’re humans too!” Lio’s voice echoes around the cave as he raises it, Galo’s stomach sinks like stone. The bandages, the ragged clothes, Kray would never harm someone...would he?

“You’re lying.” Galo breathes out, not even sure if he fully believes what he’s saying either, “The governor would never do something like that.”  
Lio pauses for a second, his eyes flashing with anger, he raises his hand a flame glowing to life briefly before he’s interrupted from shouting from people entering the cave.  
“BOSS! BOSS! They found us! I don’t know how, but they’re here!” The panicked voice of the men carries through the hollow walls as the pair that were with Lio before on the roof run into the makeshift room out of breath. The anger disappears from Lio’s face, his shoulders snap to attention and he goes to his compatriots.

“Meis, Gueira, what happened?”  
“We were coming back with the truck,” Meis breathes,  
“And somehow they found where we were going, boss! By the time we got close they were already in the sky. We weren’t followed, I promise!” Gueira rushes out,  
“I believe you, we’ll figure out how we were followed later, but we need to leave now.” Lio rests his hands on the two men’s shoulders before turning to address the group.  
“We need to leave immediately. Anyone who is healthy enough to continue on foot help those that are too weak and-” a cacophonous deep boom interrupts Lio, startling everyone into silence, and it’s followed by a haunting groan. The ceiling of the cave shudders, and dust rains down onto everyone below. Lio’s eyes go wide and Galo’s heart begins to race in his chest as he recognizes that something is very very wrong.

“Go!” Lio commands, Meis and Gueira leap into action going to the group of other Burnish to help them to their feet and towards safety.  
“I can help! Please!” Galo cries, straining against the ropes binding his hands, “Please! I don’t want to see anyone die!”  
Lio stops in his tracks, eyeing Galo suspiciously before another rumble changes his mind and he sends a flame that winds its way around the ropes, burning them away. With his hands freed Galo springs to his feet, making for the nearest Burnish that’s struggling to right themselves.  
“We’ve found you, little rats.”  
Vulcan emerges from the shadows, his frame filling the opening of the cave. Galo’s blood runs cold, and he feels the grip of the Burnish holding onto his arm tighten.

“Let’s clean up this little nest that we’re sweeping out.” Vulcan says mockingly, brandishing an ice gun in his two large hands. His eyes sweep the room and find Galo, a sneer creeps across his face, Vulcan raises the gun aiming the sights at Galo and the Burnish.  
“No!” Galo screams, his body launching in front of the Burnish, the memory flashing through his mind of the pizza chef shattering before his eyes. The ice shot splits through the air zeroed in on Galo’s head before it’s intercepted by a blaze of fire.

Galo watches as the ice immediately dissolves in what he comes to realize is a wreath of flame around his body. He looks down at his hands, incredulous as flames bathe his skin in a warm purple glow. Over his shoulder, the Burnish that he stepped in front of is being helped to their feet by Lio, whose hand is outstretched towards Galo. Did Lio do this?  
Lio gives him a quick nod, his hand flying up again and flame roars past Galo’s face and directly toward Vulcan.  
“Tricky little rats.” Vulcan growls as he’s forced to retreat away from the wall of flame descending towards him, “No matter.”

There’s another boom in the cave, close enough that Galo feels like his brain is rattled in his skull, and the walls begin to crumple sickeningly inward.  
“Go! Now!” Lio screams above the noise of rocks scraping against each other as they dislodge from above, he moves to usher the others to the exit before a gust blows past Galo’s face and Lio disappears under rubble.  
Blood is pounding in Galo’s ears, the dust from the rocks stinging his eyes and bits of debris raining down from overhead. The Burnish people are screaming underneath the rubble, and the rumble of moving earth is low and menacing. He has to help, he can do something, anything!  
Maybe Lio is still alive and he can help him —

All at once, everything is dark as Galo is crushed under rocks as the cave collapses.

Everything is dark and quiet.  
Then, the quiet crackle of a campfire. Galo Thymos wakes up slowly, opening his eyes to see the stone floor of a cave. Stiffness in his shoulders accompanies the burn of a chafing on his wrists. He lifts his head, the group of injured Burnish sit around a fire, cradling food in their hands. Seated on a rock nearby is Lio Fotia, regarding Galo with a distrustful glare.  
“The Mad Burnish Boss?” Galo’s voice cracks, what just happened, he thinks he remembers dying? The Freeze Force, Lio saving him, the cave collapsing all around him? But was that just a dream? It felt so real.  
“Lio Fotia. I’ve already told you. Memorize it Galo Thymos.”  
“What?”  
“Be quiet, we’re having a meal.” Lio chides, igniting a flame at his outstretched fingers in a show of force, but he pauses as Galo feels the blood drain from his face and his head swimming.  
“Are you okay?” Lio asks with a genuine look of concern.  
“I...I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for making it to the end here. I apologize that this chapter was mostly following canon. I hope that getting insight into more of Galo's thoughts and the divergence of the Freeze Force's behavior made it interesting.
> 
> From here on we'll really get into the time shenanigans! I'm drawing a lot of inspiration from the movie Edge of Tomorrow for it, so definitely look forward to the description of Lio doing the sexy Emily Blunt upward dog pushup because that will certainly need to happen.
> 
> Also apologies in advance for what may be a slow release schedule and potentially unfinished fic. I work full time, freelance, and also have way too many hobbies and responsibilities. Please know though that you reading this really ignites my fanfiction writer's soul! I will do my best! Thank you for reading and your patronage!
> 
> \---bonerdotexe


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galo wakes up in the cave tied up again, it all seems so familiar? Is it just a dream?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your kind comments and kudos!  
> Writing this has been a challenge but also a great exercise for me. I hope that you enjoy!  
> I might try to stick to a weekly release schedule but also the end of the month looks super busy for me (and Animal Crossing coming out...)
> 
> But I'll do my best!
> 
> Thank you too to my beta reader, LT! You're the raddest of the rad!

“Lio Fotia.” The leader of the Mad Burnish says perched on a rock in front of Galo, and it all feels so familiar, “I’ve already told you. Memorize it Galo Thymos.”  
“What?”  
Has this already happened? Galo’s felt déjà vu before, sure, but this feels much more uncanny. He watches the crackling fire and the way that it throws shadows across the walls of the cave. A visceral memory of rumbling earth and falling rubble bubbles to the surface, and Galo feels the blood drain from his face.

“Are you okay?” Lio asks with a genuine look of concern.  
“I...I don’t know.” Galo tries out, his tongue dry and heavy in his mouth, “Has this happened before?”

Lio laughs and sends his flame to Galo’s shoulder to help illuminate his face. “Did I hit you too hard?”

The flame dances on Galo’s shoulder, Galo doesn’t flinch away from it. Instead, he watches the colors flicker inside it carefully, seeking some sort of clarity. His heart has started to race, and deep down there’s fear creeping icy cold in his veins. It reminds him of the sensation of showing up to a class where you had forgotten to study for a quiz, that kind of fear where you know that there’s nothing you can do but desperately wish that you had studied.  
If only he could put his finger on it…  
“Lio,” an older man approaches Lio from the circle of people by the fire, beckoning him to a young woman on the ground. Lio nods, and with a wave of his hand the flame on Galo’s shoulder bursts in a puff of hot air.  
“Ouch!” Galo hisses out, wincing.

He watches the other Burnish encircle the young woman as Lio approaches, their faces grave, but watching their leader. Her breathing is shallow, and Galo hangs on every second of the coming interaction.  
“Hang on Thyma, Meis and Gueira will be here with a truck soon.” he leans down to perform what looks like mouth to mouth before breathing light into her body. As the light enters her passing Lio’s lips, the air around Galo sparks to life with energy and deep inside him, he feels something ignite as well.

The sensation in his gut is warm, comforting, and it assures him that what he’s been feeling is true. He’s seen this happen before.

The light in the young woman’s body dissolves and Galo thinks that he can feel the life drain from her body before she begins to turn to ashes.  
“From flames to ashes, from ashes to earth. Rest in peace.” Lio’s voice is barely a whisper and choked with emotion, Galo is desperate not to interrupt but is also itching to express the way that he feels the danger lurking, if his memory of what’s coming is correct.

“You all need to go, now!” Galo finally cuts through the somber silence, and Lio’s head snaps around furiously his fuschia eyes sharp.  
“What did you say?”  
“I said that you all need to run, you need to get out of here!”  
“What do you think we’re doing, Galo Thymos?” Lio thunders over to Galo in a handful of quick strides, picking him up by the collar of his shirt, “Why do you think we’re always running? Why do you think that she died? You’re part of this too, your city’s precious governor almost killed us with his experiments.”  
“What I’m trying to say-” Galo starts but stumbles over his words, “This has happened...I mean you all are in danger - I mean you really need to go!”  
“What are you getting at-” Lio’s hisses, eyebrows creasing together in frustration and confusion, but he turns to the sound of hurried footsteps coming from the entrance of the cave.  
“BOSS! BOSS! They found us! I don’t know how, but they’re here!” The panicked voice of the men carries through the hollow walls as the red-headed and dark-haired Burnish dash into the makeshift room out of breath. They’re the two Burnish Galo also fought on the roof.

Something flashes in Lio’s eyes and suddenly a knife flares to life, forming out of bright pink flames in his hands. He throws Galo to the ground, pinning his chest, ignoring the surprised expressions of his friends.  
With a deft twirl of his fingers the knife’s point is leveled at Galo’s throat, “Did you lead them here?” Lio growls.  
His hair is wreathed in the faint firelight, the cool darkness of the cave throwing his face into stark relief.

Galo can’t help but be struck by how beautiful he is.

“I asked you a question.” Lio presses the knife slightly into the flesh of Galo’s throat, despite being made of fire its razor sharp edge draws a small bead of blood,  
“Boss, what happened? Why is the firefighter idiot here?” Lio’s red-headed compatriot exclaims,  
“Talk. Now.” Lio emphasizes the demand by lowering the knife, and pain crackles to life below Galo’s adam’s apple.

“I think this has happened before, maybe in like a weird déjà vu way, but for some reason, I remember this happening? Somehow I just know that you’re all in danger, the Freeze Force is coming and everyone will be hurt. Some of you may die.” Galo rushes out, feeling the blade prick his skin as his throat bobs.  
“He’s right, Boss, the Freeze Force is hot on our tails.” The long haired man adds in.  
“Did you hit him too hard, Boss?” a chuckle from the redhead.  
Lio’s eyes narrow, boring deeply into Galo’s own, almost like he was trying to read his thoughts or gauge his trustworthiness. The knife is lifted from Galo’s throat and Lio sits back. “I have no idea what you’re talking about and I don’t really care. You probably ratted us out to Foresight anyway.” Is his response, voice icy cold.  
“No I-” Galo starts,  
“Meis, Gueira, we need to get everyone out of here, now.” Lio’s commands, spurring the men into action to begin helping the Burnish around the fire, “Everyone, we need to go, please help one another the best you can and head for the exit.”  
As Lio stands with his shoulders squared, the picture of authority, it dawns on Galo that he intends to leave him behind.

“Wait! Let me help!” he cries, his voice getting lost to the rumble of an explosion. The Burnish people startle at the boom, their rattled nerves causing them to murmur uncertainly. Lio, Meis, and Gueira are gathered together in a rushed conversation, trying to devise a strategy with the time ticking down and danger breathing down their necks.  
Galo knows what comes next.

Vulcan’s gargantuan form enters the opening of the cave, but Galo only sees his sharp grin for a second before he disappears in a wall of flame erupting from Lio and his two general’s hands. Galo struggles to get to his knees but tears his way over to them when he gets the chance.  
All he can scream is “Run! Leave! Go!”, his voice hoarse and most of the words probably coming out as a jumble, but he’s ignored by the trio hell bent on protecting their people that huddle together behind them.

The stone ceiling begins to crumble, dust and rocks raining from above, Galo has barely any time to react before a large piece gives way under the weight of the mountain and falls.

Then there’s nothing but darkness.

Galo never really thought about death, it didn’t suit his balls to the wall philosophy, but he figures he must be dead for real this time. He’s surprised by how the pain is instantly gone. The sensation of the rocks coming into contact with his body was an explosion of agony incomparable with anything else in his life, and even though it was so quick it still echoes in his memory. He never imagined that dying would mean that he would end up in this inky blackness, dead but somehow still able to remember and think, with a weightless feeling in his body either. It feels so warm. Like the void was a warm bath that he was floating in.  
Just before he began to wonder how long he would be suspended in this unusual state, a light flickers to life, blinding at first, but dying down to a colorful spark of pulsating flame.

The presence of the flame sends a jolt of electricity through Galo’s incorporeal form, it wasn’t painful but it almost felt as if someone had injected him with adrenaline. Every one of his nerves tingle and come alight with energy. Gradually the flame grows as it dances in delight, wrapping Galo in multicolored light, a chorus of voices echoing around endlessly. The combination of emotions, volumes, and exclamations from the voices all at once come to a dizzying crescendo before the flames snapped to a pinprick of light.  
Save them. A voice whispers in Galo’s ear, before a weight like a pull of freefall tugs onto Galo’s chest, dragging him into the abyss.

The sound of the cave and the crackling fire clues Galo in as his consciousness returns, the soreness and Lio on the rock when he opens his eyes confirms that he’s back where he started before. But why? And how? Is this all a dream?

Lio notices that he’s awake and regards him with a careful glance. Galo can’t waste any time.  
He had training for emergency situations before joining the Burning Rescue team. The kindly professionals briefed them on ways to focus your mind under stress by breaking problems down into smaller pieces while being aware of the way that your brain and body will react naturally to danger.  
One step at a time. He knows that Lio has every reason to distrust him, so while he doesn’t have time to completely gain his trust, there has to be a way that he can convince them to work together and help everyone escape safely.  
If he can accomplish that, he can manage the incoming Freeze Force after.

“Hello?” Lio says dragging out the ‘o’ at the end, “Are you okay?”  
Galo startles, realizing that while he had been running through a plan in his head Lio had approached and was nearly face to face with him, grinning at Galo’s bemusement.

It’s now or never.

“Lio Fotia,” Galo starts, mustering up a serious expression, Lio’s eyebrows arcing into his bangs at the use of his name. “I know that you have no reason to trust me, but everyone here is in danger and it’s important to me that you leave immediately.”  
Lio’s eyes go wide before he’s doubled over laughing, “I really must have hit you too hard.” He manages to get out between breaths.

“I’m completely serious. After you all were arrested because of me, it didn’t feel right. It was downright cruel the way that you were treated by the Freeze Force, and later I saw them outright murder a Burnish man elsewhere. Whether or not what you do is considered a crime, justice doesn’t involve bringing harm to others, it has to repair the harm that was done. I’m so sorry for being a part of subjecting you to that, and I want to help. Call it a gut feeling, but I think that you need to leave now before they catch up to you.”

“And you expect me to believe you?” Lio asks,  
“Yes,” Galo answers resolutely,  
“And why should I even trust you?”  
Galo rolls this around in his head for a moment before responding, “Because I know how much you care about the safety and freedom of everyone here, so all I can offer is that I genuinely want to help.”  
Lio lets out a huff of breath between his teeth before he begins to hurriedly pace in a small path, Galo’s heart sinks a little because Lio looks genuinely frustrated.  
A moment passes before Lio stops, turns on his heel, and throws his hands up.

“Fine, I’ll let you help us.” Lio pinches between his eyes as he watches Galo beam hopefully in response, “But because I have no reason to trust you, I’ll be watching your every move. If I have any reason to think that you’re going to bring harm to any one of us you’ll come to regret it. You can count on it.”  
Galo nods his head vigorously in response, wriggling in his spot. Lio lets out an exasperated sigh as he comes around to Galo’s back and releases him from the ropes with a quick burst of flame. His hands finally freed, Galo rolls his shoulders to move the blood back through his arms, startling Lio who takes a step back.  
“Let’s go.” he says resolutely, throwing himself to his feet. By the time he reaches Thyma to gently take her into his arms, Lio is calling to the other Burnish that it’s time to go.  
“What are you doing?” a Burnish woman that was looking after Thyma exclaims, confused.  
“Wasn’t he just our prisoner?” another asks.  
“He’s our ally for now, but if he does anything unusual let me know immediately,” Lio responds to them from a bit away, he’s helping another Burnish to their feet.

Galo puts on his most reassuring expression that he uses when trying to assist scared citizens in emergency situations. While it doesn’t seem to put the Burnish at ease, they let him stand up with Thyma cradled against his chest without complaint.  
The bedraggled group shuffles to their feet and begin to make their way out of the cave, led by Lio in the front to assure safe passage. Their chatter is nervous, and Galo feels on edge since he’s now in uncharted territory with this divergence in events.

Beside him a man trips over his feet; Lio’s head whips around to react, but Galo manages to get an arm out without jostling Thyma to steady him before he tumbles to the ground.

Lio narrows his eyes offering a curt nod before turning his attention back to ferrying them through the passage.

They reach the entrance uneventfully, and Lio encourages the group to wait out of the sightlines of the cave opening before they exit back into the open air of the forest.  
“Would you be willing to watch her?” Galo asks one of the Burnish next to him, gesturing to Thyma. He nods in response, allowing Galo to slowly lower her back to the ground, head propped on the man’s lap. He thinks that he knows a way to get out of what might happen next, so he weaves his way through the crowd to approach Lio who’s crouched and peering around the corner at the cave’s opening.

“Lio Fotia!” he whispers.  
“Hush Thymos!” Lio hisses in response, “Must you always speak as if you’re shouting?”  
“Send me out there, first. Your two guys are out there, right? I can find them and we can make a diversion.”  
“What?”  
“I have my bike out there, I can find them and we can throw anybody off of your trail while you all get away.”  
“That’s not necessarily the worst idea…” Lio eyes him skeptically,  
“Can you give me something that I can tell them so that they will trust me?”  
At that Lio’s mouth turns downward, Galo can get the feeling that it clearly makes him uncomfortable to put this much trust in him. He understands, and it also makes his heart swell a bit at how devoted Lio is to his people.

A quick moment passes before Lio leans over and whispers to Galo. For some reason he finds himself blushing at the proximity, Lio’s breath ghosting over the shell of his ear, and swears that the reason his heart is beating harder is because of what he’s about to do.

Lio leans back, gives Galo a quick nod, and Galo is off back up the hill to his bike.

The sun has nearly set, casting long shadows along the ground, it’s beginning to cool off so as Galo climbs the hill in long purposeful strides his breath is almost visible. His motorcycle is parked right where he left it, engine cold. Even though it probably isn’t great for the engine for him to drive it without letting it warm up, he doesn’t have time to waste, so he crams the key from his pocket into the ignition, slings his leg over, and tugs on the throttle.  
The scream from his motorcycle pierces the evening quiet, and Galo begins to reanalyze his plan. He certainly doesn’t have much stealth with such a noisy machine so he’ll have to come up on Lio’s friends quickly in order to convey the message to them before they have a chance to push him away. But he also needs to reach them in time before the Freeze Force descends on Lio’s group trying to escape. On top of that, if the past is prologue the Freeze Force is tailing them, so the sooner that they can divert them the better.

Galo slows a bit, scanning the road for the path that Lio had told him that they might be taking and thinks he sees a glimmer out of the corner of his eye. Either side of the paved road is wild tangled forest, and Galo’s bike isn’t really suited for off roading but he doesn’t have time to lose.  
He guns his motorcycle, taking a sharp turn to the left, trying to steer towards the underbrush that looks the least obstructive.

Branches and stalks of plants whip past him, slapping against his Burning Rescue pants, he doesn’t manage to duck in time before one clips his head just above his eye.  
Unsurprisingly he’s running out of path quickly, with a felled tree up ahead, but he’s pretty sure he sees two figures through the trees not far off as well.

“I’m sorry for this…” he murmurs, petting his motorcycle underneath him.

Just before he collides with the tree, Galo pushes himself up onto the seat into a crouch, then borrowing the momentum, launches himself off of it as it crashes.

Galo hardly has time to feel like an action hero before his poorly thought through plan goes awry. The arc of his jump takes him through a thicket of branches that claw through his shirt and tear up his arms, and the exact two people that he was looking for were way closer than he anticipated. In mere moments Galo comes plummeting down on top of them, Gueira only having time to squeak out “What the hell?!” before they collided in an unceremonious heap.

“Firefighter idiot?!”  
“How the hell-?!”  
“I need you two to listen to me!” Galo does his best to pin Meis and Gueira to the ground underneath his hands even though his head feels like it’s full of bees, his skin stings from fresh scratches, and his eye is throbbing from where he took someone’s elbow to it.  
“Lio told me to tell you that he’s issuing Detroit protocol, you need to trust me so that we can help divert the Freeze Force and help them escape.” Galo says hurriedly, upon mention of the word “Detroit” he feels a bit of the tension go out of the men’s bodies.  
Meis and Gueira exchange quick glances, they clearly aren’t happy, but whatever the Detroit protocol is, it was the right thing for Galo to say.  
“Fine, what’s up?” Gueira says tersely,  
“What’s the plan?” Meis adds,  
“Okay, so we need to make a pretty big commotion to get the Freeze Force off your tail-”  
“COULD YOU GET OFF OF US!” Gueira musters up a burst of unexpected strength to push Galo off of on top of them.

The two Burnish right themselves, taking a moment to unruffle their clothes.  
“So the boss needs our help to get everyone away safely? It’s a good thing that we are particularly skilled at making a scene.” Gueira smirks at Galo, a red flame coating his hands and shifting his form. Meis’ body is also disappearing under Burnish flames that dissolve into smooth black armor, elongating his slender frame into a sinister, alien shape.

Not exactly short himself outside of his Matoi armor Galo feels dwarfed by Gueira’s hulking hunched body and Meis’ tall, lanky figure.

A four wheeler appears under Gueira, and a dirtbike under Meis in another flash of flames,  
“Get on.” Meis beckons to Galo with a long, clawed hand.

Climbing onto the ethereal dirt bike in front of Meis, Galo learns that the black armor surrounding the two men is quite warm. He doesn’t know what he expected since it formed from what he’s come to gather is living flames, but leaning back against Meis’ chest so that Meis can reach the handlebars feels like sitting with his back to a fireplace. Just a touch uncomfortable and enough to make him sweat. 

“Let’s go,” Meis calls to Gueira, his voice distorted by the toothy helm covering his face,  
“Woohoooo!” Gueira howls revving the engine of his four wheeler, and they begin to drive back in the direction of the cave.  
Galo isn’t prepared for the burst of heat from underneath him as they take off, and yelps as it hits his legs. “Sorry,” Meis murmurs a reply, and somehow the flames seem to sense his will and the heat dampens to a subtle warmth.

As they drive through the forest, Meis and Gueira do their best to avoid trees and brush, but whatever they aren’t able to dodge goes up in a crackle of smoke and ash.

“HEY! GET OUT OF THE WOODS! YOU CAN’T GO AND START A WILDFIRE!” Galo shouts,  
“Such a pain…” he hears Gueira say under his breath, but the pair turn back toward the road anyway. Without the thick cover of the trees the Freeze Force aren’t far behind. The bright lights of their trucks are quick to find them like spotlights.  
Meis and Gueira put on a show leading the Freeze Force away from the cave and through the woods to the outskirts of town. Explosions of multicolor flames and ice dance across the road around them, but Galo never feels either of his new allies falter. They seem at ease tearing around the Freeze Force trucks, drifting past shots from ice guns, tossing back fireballs, and whooping in delight.

They cover a lot of ground quickly, and Galo begins to wonder if the Burnish bikes run on gas and if the Freeze Force trucks will run out of fuel soon because they’re just outside the industrial sector of Promepolis far from the forest. The lamps illuminating the roads around the warehouses and factories are flying by Galo in a strobing effect adding to the queasiness he feels from being plastered sweatily against Meis for the duration of the chase. Meis and Gueira exchange two knowing nods before Meis jostles Galo to stretch out his arm and summon a large ball of fire in his palm.  
Just past a grouping of warehouses as they’re passing by a cluster of gas tanks, the pair casually lob the fireballs in their direction.

The gas tanks ignite instantly, cutting the Freeze Force off from their pursuit. The concussive force from the blast pushes Galo face first into the frame of the dirt bike underneath him, bruising his chest, but luckily his drivers remain unphased and steer them towards a tight stack of shipping containers.  
Once they're a few rows deep the dirt bike under Galo disappears, and he just manages to throw his arms out before he hits the ground. Offering him little time to recover, Meis and Gueira are hurrying him into the shipping container that one of them has opened.

The container is full of stacked cardboard boxes and smells a bit musty. Once Meis shuts the door behind them it’s pitch black save the glow from the Burnish’s armor. Galo’s heart is beating hard in his ears, and the quietness inside the container offers a stark contrast to the commotion outside.. He can hear the voices of Freeze Force troops growing closer, so Galo does his best to calm his breathing and slow down.

It’s tense inside, the trio listening for signs that they might be discovered. Meis and Gueira stand facing the door to the shipping container, coiled tightly like springs, ready for the door to open.

But it never does.

By some miracle the Freeze Force comes and goes, leaving them in the container undisturbed.

Once the sound of their trucks drifts off into the distance, Galo sags against the metal wall in relief.  
They did it.

The toothy visor on the helm of Meis’ armor slides away to reveal his face.  
“It seems that Boss trusts you enough that I think it would be okay for us to bring you with us to regroup,” he says to Galo,  
“Yeah, but what if he’s just putting on an act so that he can rat out our location to Foresight in the end?” Gueira retorts with his massive hands on his hips,  
“That’s easy,” Meis shrugs in response, “we can just kill him.”  
Even if Galo doesn’t entirely believe that the Mad Burnish would kill him given Lio’s explanation of their maxim in the past, he doesn’t want to give them any reason to reconsider it. So he follows.

They’re cautious about emerging from the shipping container, making sure to keep their wits about them for any lingering malicious actors. But again, nothing meets them aside from the blaze from the gas canisters and the faint sound of a Burning Rescue company answering the call for the fire.

Galo hopes that he isn’t unintentionally putting any of his friends in danger.

So they saddle up on their vehicles again, Galo seated in front of Meis once more, and begin riding out into the desert. The sky opens up over them, dark and speckled with stars outside of the range of light pollution from the city. For a while, the horizon is empty save the crests of sand dunes, but before long they start to come upon half-sunken skeletons of destroyed buildings.  
It happened before Galo can remember, but he learned that in the first appearance of the Burnish there had been a lot of conflict. This must be one of the cities that fell victim to the fights that broke out.

They approach a larger building with more of its structure intact above the sands. As they ride closer Galo notices the low flicker of firelight further inside its walls.  
Meis and Gueira pull their bikes in below a crumbling support column that Galo notes would definitely not be up to code. The snouts of their armor both raise to look up at the opening above, and Galo follows their gaze to see Lio Fotia leaning over the edge to watch them.

He gracefully steps off of the ledge into freefall, but before reaching the ground catches himself with a burst of flames erupting from each of his hands.

Holy shit that was cool Galo thinks to himself.

“Welcome back,” Lio says to them with a wry smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for making it to the end, here! Sorry for my wonky action writing skills and complete inability to use HTML to utilize AO3 to its full potential. I'll learn, I promie!
> 
> Hope that you have a great day today!


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